Will GreenwaldPanasonic DMP-BDT110With very good video performance, fast disc load times, and plenty of video streaming and other Web services, the Panasonic DMP-BDT110 is one of the best Blu-ray players you can get for less than $150.

With very good video performance, fast disc load times, and plenty of video streaming and other Web services, the Panasonic DMP-BDT110 is one of the best Blu-ray players you can get for less than $150.

It seems like Blu-ray players are getting less and less expensive, and, remarkably, better and better. The Panasonic DMP-BDT110 retails for only $134.99 (direct), but with 3D support, Viera Connect Web apps and services, excellent video processing, and quick speeds, it stands as one of the best Blu-ray players you can get for less than $150. The only thing it's missing is built-in Wi-Fi, which you can add with an, albeit pricey, optional USB adapter.

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DesignLike just about every other Blu-ray player on the market, the BDT110 is finished in glossy black, with a simple design. At 1.5 by 16.9 by 7.1 (HWD) inches and 3.5 pounds, the BDT110 is the same size and weight as most budget and midrange Blu-ray players. At first look, the player has no physical controls on the front except a Power button on the top right edge and an Open/Close button on the top left edge. The entire front panel flips down to reveal additional controls and front-facing ports, including Stop/Play buttons, a USB port, and an SD card slot. The panel flips down automatically when loading a disc, and pops back up when the tray is closed. It can also be flipped down manually, which will keep it down until you move it back up. The player's back panel holds the HDMI output, another USB port, a composite video output, and an optical audio output.

The remote is a squat, 6.6-inch slab with a dog bone-shaped underside. The buttons are cramped and oddly positioned, with the navigation pad sitting on the lower half of the remote, making menu navigation a bit awkward. The number pad, one of the less-used groups of buttons on a Blu-ray remote, sits near the top, right in easy reach of your thumb. If the two parts were reversed, the remote would feel much more comfortable. Dedicated Skype, Netflix, and 3D buttons control the player's more specialized features. Skype requires the use of a webcam, and you need to use either Panasonic's Skype webcam or the Freetalk 7181; you can't plug in any Logitech or Microsoft webcam.

The menu system is direction-controlled, with various functions assigned to different navigation pad buttons. Pressing Up brings you to Network functions, pressing Left plays movies, pressing Right plays music, and so on. It's a simple, minimalist interface that gives an intuitive experience for accessing the most common media playback features. The Viera Cast button or Network menu access Panasonic's Viera Cast menu, a 3D library of online content services you can access through the player's Ethernet port or with an optional $80 Wi-Fi adapter. The multi-layered Viera Cast menu seems jumbled and confusing at first, but you can customize each layer to show your most-used online services and Web apps. The most useful features include Netflix, Hulu Plus, YouTube, YouTube, Picasa, Facebook, Twitter, and several sports apps, putting the BDT110 on par with Sony and Samsung's app-equipped, multiple-service Blu-ray players.

PerformanceIn our speed tests, the DMP-BDT110 started up in an average of 2.2 seconds. Blu-ray discs without BD-Live content (older ones) loaded in an average of just 12.6 seconds. BD-Live discs began loading online content in an average of just 19.7 seconds, and started showing video in an average of 53.2 seconds. That's satisfyingly quick, but the Sony BDP-S380 ($109.99, 3.5 stars) edges it out in loading BD-Live discs at 43.6 seconds. The BDP-S380 doesn't support 3D, though. It's much faster than the budget-priced Toshiba BDX2200 ($99.99, 3 stars), which loaded non-BD-Live discs in 28.8 seconds and BD-Live discs in 1 minute 13.7 seconds.

We test Blu-ray players using the HQV benchmark Blu-ray disc, and the DMP-BDT110 proved roundly excellent with a few exceptions. It showed remarkably good video tracking at 30 frames per second, with no artifacts or tearing in a variety of tests. It stumbled a bit at 24 frames per second, showing some distinct judder with horizontal motion. However, this is an issue seen with almost all Blu-ray players, and despite the film judder, the DMP-BDT110 showed some of the best benchmark results we've seen yet.

The DMP-BDT110 plays both 2D and 3D Blu-ray discs very well. On the Blu-ray release of The Big Lebowski, details looked crisp and, during the dream sequences, properly surreal. The Gutterball sequence showed marked jerkiness with the horizontally flying pin, but everything else was otherwise smooth. The player showed the 3D in IMAX Under the Sea 3D without any problem. DVD upconversion is decent, but it doesn't (and can't) do miracles. On the deluxe DVD release of Scarface, the noise (and the nearly 30-year-old film grain) wasn't cleaned up much, but the player didn't try to apply some smudge-filled noise reduction algorithm to destroy all details, either.

Panasonic's DMP-BDT110 is an excellent Blu-ray player for $135. It doesn't have built-in Wi-Fi and it shows some slight judder in horizontal motion in film, but it's full of features, relatively fast, and reasonably priced. If you want a more feature-rich player, consider the Samsung BD-D5700 ($199.99, 4 stars), our Editors' Choice for midrange Blu-ray players because of its Wi-Fi and much faster non-BD-Live performance (an average of 13.4 seconds). Otherwise, the DMP-BDT110 is one of your best sub-$150 options.

Panasonic DMP-BDT110

Bottom Line: With very good video performance, fast disc load times, and plenty of video streaming and other Web services, the Panasonic DMP-BDT110 is one of the best Blu-ray players you can get for less than $150.

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Will Greenwald has been covering consumer technology for a decade, and has served on the editorial staffs of CNET.com, Sound & Vision, and Maximum PC. His work and analysis has been seen in GamePro, Tested.com, Geek.com, and several other publications. He currently covers consumer electronics in the PC Labs as the in-house home entertainment expert, reviewing TVs, media hubs, speakers, headphones, and gaming accessories. Will is also an ISF Level II-certified TV calibrator, which ensures the thoroughness and accuracy of all PCMag TV reviews....
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